A day later than he intended — and after yet another odd twist to his recruiting saga — running back Alex Collins signed with Arkansas yesterday.

The highly coveted running back from South Plantation High School near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., did so with his father providing the written consent required by NCAA rules. “It’s where he wanted to go,” Johnny Collins said Alex Collins said his mother, Andrea McDonald, who would not sign the letter of intent on Wednesday as many expected, supported his college decision. But she was notably absent from his hastily scheduled event yesterday, and a law firm founded by former O.J. Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran said that McDonald retained their services to represent “the family’s interests.”

“I’m happy it’s over,” Collins said. “I didn’t think about going anywhere else because I had my mindset. This is where I wanted to go. I just talked to my mom. I let her know. I explained myself, and we have a better understanding.”

The running back said he was unaware that his mother hired attorney Jack Paris from the Cochran Law Firm, insisting that “no one hired any lawyers.” But in a statement yesterday, Paris said the Collins family wanted “to make a clean choice that is free of any outside influences.”

Later yesterday, Paris released a second statement, saying it remains “a difficult time” for McDonald.